


Tide to the Shifting Grounds

by The_Shy_One



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Courting Rituals, Fluff, M/M, Mermaid Din Djarin, Mermaid Paz Vizsla, One Shot, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:24:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26333326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Shy_One/pseuds/The_Shy_One
Summary: Paz hopes that his gift that he offers to Din will be accepted to start courting the merman.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Paz Vizsla
Comments: 6
Kudos: 155





	Tide to the Shifting Grounds

He thumbed at the shell in his hand, looking down to see the bright colours swirl and pattern with each other. It was surrounded by sand since it was left abandoned on the seafloor by the previous tenant when they had grown too big to stay in it. The shell now waited for something else to make a home out of it, to continue this cycle until it was too damaged to continue. Paz shifted his gaze to the other shells he collected, wondering if all of them together would create a beautiful piece that he wanted Din to wear.

He wanted it to come all together, to make something that would make the other merman see that Paz would be a good option for a partner, a mate for life. Paz wanted to share the rest of his life with him so much, but he knew nothing about how to make a beautiful piece that would get Din’s attention. That would make the merman see that he was more than an ori’buyce, kih’kovid.

Creation and an eye for colour wasn’t something he was known for. He had seen others in the clan make them, all different and beautiful from each other - and yet they hadn’t struggled with creating them. All of them had an idea, something they were determined to make despite any limitations that snagged them during their process. 

He’d seen the way the Armorer had taken all the abandoned silver from shipwrecks in her lagoon and made her human mate, Cara, a chest plate that held the vows that the Armorer had spoken, binding them. She hadn’t paused in her work, she had already known what to do without hesitation.

Paz’s tail flicked in the water, sand dusting up around his body as a thought came to him. Maybe he could crush the shells and create something that would dangle, something small and precious that would make Din think of him whenever he gazed on it. A charm, something he could manage.

He puts the shell with the rest, thoughts forming and being discarded on what design he could do. It had to be simple, but different enough that it could be picked out from any other gifts that might be presented to the smaller merman. Paz wanted him to know it was Paz’s and only Paz’s.

The days passed him by as he continued his duties and then returned to his nest to create his gift, the little charm. He was taking his time, making sure everything was as close to perfect for a gift. It had to spell out all his intentions, his feelings. He wanted the other merman to see he was worthy of being his partner, his mate - a parent if they chose to adopt some foundlings.

When he was surrounded by the Covert, he saw one or two other members trying to offer Din their own gifts. The mer had his face hidden away by his shiny helmet, rejecting all offers of courting of him, of even considering any of them becoming his mate. He was sought out for his skills as a hunter for the Covert and how well-liked he was among the foundlings whenever he returned home. 

Even seeing how he treated his own child - a small little mer who’d come from a species that none of them had seen before, but who the Covert saw as adorable regardless - made many swoon over him, seeing Din as mandokar and wanting that for themselves. 

It made Paz’s heart soar, glad to still have his chance to offer his gift to the mer. Even with the thought that Din could reject his offer as all the others who had done so, Paz lived on the hope that he would be the one that Din picked, and would want to spend the rest of his life with.

At some point he finished, the last few touches finished. Paz looked over the charm, the swirls of colours and patterns of the shells coming together. It was a charm he had seen from some of the children who played around the lagoon, a simple shape that had five points that could be decorated anyway. Just as long as it was done with the intent of giving to those close to you.

At least that’s what the Armorer had told him when she showed a few that the human children had gifted her. All of them were simple, only painted with what the human children had around their nests. But it made her tilt her head, admiring them all as if they were masterpieces.

For Paz, he’d hope that it would show how serious he was about his offer.

He picks it up, gently holding it in his hand. Then he swims out of his nest, going towards Din’s, hoping the mer was there. His hearts thudded, nervous and excited all at once. He hopes, he hopes, he hopes so much that it made him dizzy. He pushes on, wanting to know what the answer will be.

He gets close and hears the sound of clicking, a conversation between a buir and their ad. It was limited, but it was filled with love, something that made Paz’s head spin. Din had so much love to offer, so much that Paz couldn’t fathom it.

He wanted to know, wanted to see how much the other mer could love.

Din peeks his head out his nest when he hears Paz’s clicks outside. The helmet was still on, shining low in the fading rays as Din swam out to meet him. His scales glitter the same way, shining silver and black, making him blend into the evening.

Beautiful and so strong, Paz deep into admiration and love he had for the mer.

“What is it, Paz?” Din asks quietly, looking at him through the visor. “Why’re you here?”

“I’m here to offer this,” Paz says, stilted as he holds out the charm.

Din pauses at this, looking over the charm, leaving Paz with his racing thoughts and quickly beating hearts. It was careful consideration, going on longer than what he’d seen of the other mers when they offered their gifts to the merman. Paz waited, hoping, hoping, hoping in time of his beating hearts.

From the nest, a head peeks out. Paz realizes it’s Din’s ad’ika when they make a low sound, halfway between a click and coo. Obviously wondering what their buir was doing since it was getting dark for them, close to going to sleep.

Din turns to give a soft sound to the ad’ika, reassuring them he would return to the nest soon. They didn’t go back in, watching as Din turned his attention back to Paz.

“Is this a courting offer, Paz?”

“Elek. I want to offer you this charm in the hopes you will accept my offer to become your partner - your mate if you choose to do that.”

There was a sharp breath taken in, something that forces Paz to look down. He expects rejection, the words of _ ‘go now and stay away’  _ to leave the other’s lips. What he wasn’t expected was Din’s hands placing themselves over his, moving them so that they were held in between them.

Din gently takes the charm out of Paz’s hands, feeling over the five points and the silver edges that bound them together. The symbol in the middle was of a mudhorn, the clan symbol that Din and the ad had adopted when Din had taken in the foundling. Paz had used the Armorer’s tools to make the symbol, taking a long time to get it to be passable.

Paz watched as Din hooked the charm at his belt, letting it dangle there. His hearts thudded so hard, something surely wrong with them if they were this loud, pounding this hard.

He stays still as Din moves towards him, his hands placing on each side of his helmet. Cradling as if Paz were something precious, to be held with the utmost care.

“Paz Vizla, I accept your offer to court me,” Din says, sounding happy, just as happy as when he spends time with his ad. “Do you want a gift in return?”

“You don’t have to,” Paz starts, excited that Din wanted to do that. “I’m happy with you accepting my offer.”

Din tilts Paz’s head down, pressing his helmet to his. Paz knew he wasn’t breathing at this, thoughts filled with how good it felt to keldabe kiss with Din. “I want to, Paz. Let me do something for you.”

“Lek, lek.” Was all Paz could say in reply, brain frazzled by all that happened in the last few minutes. He felt something small pressing into his side, cooing. Din chuckled at his ad’ika’s action, pulling the three of them closer together.

It was more than Paz had ever hoped with his offering and he didn’t ever want to let it go. He manages to move his arms and hold the two of them as close to him as he possibly could. 

A family, he had a family to look after and love.

What more could a merman like him want than that?

**Author's Note:**

> Ori’buyce, Kih’kovid - all helmet, no head (Common term of derision for someone with an overdeveloped sense of authority)  
> Mandokar - the *right stuff*, the epitome of Mando virtue - a blend of aggression, tenacity, loyalty and a lust for life  
> Buir - Father or Mother  
> Ad - son or daughter  
> Ad'ika - Little One  
> Elek - Yes  
> Lek - Yeah
> 
> I had this idea for a few months and finally got around to writing it. I couldn't resist putting these two in a mermaid au since mermaid au's is my jam and I just love playing around in that au with fluffy stuff like this. Also, the gift looks like the Wayfinder Trio's charms from KH since that series has its grip on me lol.
> 
> As usual, you can find me on Tumblr by the username, maul-antics to see all the star wars posts and ideas I might consider to write in the future.
> 
> Hopefully, this was a fun one-shot to read!


End file.
